Losing Hailburton has had a Jordan and LeBron impact on Pacers

It's not like the Indiana Pacers didn't know what they had until it was gone.

They did, and that's one of the reasons that losing Tyrese Haliburton to an Achilles' tear in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder was so devastating. Not just because it caused the Pacers to lose the series, and the trophy. But also because it meant 2025-26 could be a lost season with Haliburton unlikely to play at all.

Unfortunately for Pacers fans, it has been.

The Pacers are now 6-28, and on a 10-game losing streak. This has happened even though several core players from the Finals run have been available, including Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. And while the silver lining is a high lottery pick in a stacked upcoming NBA Draft, the descent has been embarrassing and somewhat historic.

Very few franchises have endured such whiplash from a glorious season to a disastrous one, and most of those did so because a Hall of Famer was no longer in the lineup.

So is Haliburton the Michael Jordan, LeBron James or David Robinson in this scenario?

Here were three of the biggest freefalls in NBA history prior to this one, as the Pacers are on pace to dive from 50-32 to 18-64, a 32-win decline. Some of this is encouraging, and some is not:

1. Michael Jordan was.... good

It wasn't just Jordan who was missing in 1998-99, after the Chicago Bulls completed their second three-peat. Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson were gone too. And that led to the largest win percentage collapse in NBA history; it's not the biggest win drop only because the lockout shortened the season. Poor Tim Floyd, who took over a collection of misfits, as the Bulls averaged just 20 wins over the next six seasons. Only the drafting of Derrick Rose in 2008 got the Bulls back to some kind of contention. Ideally, it won't take Indiana quite that long.

2. The dooming Decision

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't win a championship in LeBron James' first seven seasons with them, but they won a lot of games. Then came The Decision for LeBron James to take his talents to South Beach (for four years before returning as it turned out), and everything fell apart. The Cavaliers won 66 and 61 games the two seasons prior to James' 2010 departure.... and just 19 in the season after. That did set the stage for the drafting of Kyrie Irving (among others, some not so successful) and the rise back up, as James returned in 2014 and with Irving (and Kevin Love, who was acquired for top overall pick Andrew Wiggins) gave Cleveland a title in 2016.

3. Setting up Twin Towers

David Robinson Tim Duncan — David Butler II-Imagn Images

How do you get a generational big man when you already have one? Tank. The San Antonio Spurs dealt with a crazy number of injuries in 1996-97, including to stalwart center David Robinson. Gregg Popovich took over as coach that season and guided the Spurs close to the basement. Winning the lottery landed them.... Tim Duncan, and a couple of decades of dynasty-like success. So, yes, sometimes it pays to stink. As the Pacers do now.